HLS 10RS-2474 ORIGINAL Page 1 of 2 Regular Session, 2010 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 112 BY REPRESENTATIVE GIROD JACKSON SPECIAL DAY/WEEK/MONTH: Recognizes April as Foot Health Awareness Month A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON1 To recognize the month of April as Foot Health Awareness Month.2 WHEREAS, diabetes is a disease that affects the body's ability to produce and use3 insulin in amounts sufficient to control blood sugar levels; and4 WHEREAS, diabetes affects twenty-three million six hundred thousand Americans5 each year and, according to the American Diabetes Association, costs one hundred seventy-6 four billion dollars in the United States each year, with approximately one million six7 hundred thousand new cases being diagnosed each year; and8 WHEREAS, people with any type of diabetes can develop blindness, heart disease9 and stroke, kidney disease, and nervous system disease (neuropathy); and10 WHEREAS, diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults11 of age twenty to seventy-four, and is also the leading cause of kidney failure; and12 WHEREAS, sixty to seventy percent of people with diabetes have mild to severe13 forms of nervous system damage; and14 WHEREAS, adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates two to four times15 higher than adults without diabetes; and16 WHEREAS, the complications of diabetes cause an alarming number of victims to17 lose a leg or a foot, at a rate calculated to equal one loss every thirty seconds worldwide, and18 experts estimate that eighty-five percent of these amputations could have been avoided19 through comprehensive diabetes control and patient education; and20 HLS 10RS-2474 ORIGINAL HCR NO. 112 Page 2 of 2 WHEREAS, raising awareness of the impact of complications from diabetes will1 play a key role in educating others on the importance of prevention and treatment, resulting2 in better health for all individuals in the state of Louisiana and throughout the nation; and3 WHEREAS, providing access to prevention, detection, and treatment of4 complications from diabetes will save many lives and also will have the effect of saving5 money.6 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby7 recognize the month of April as Foot Health Awareness Month.8 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby9 encourage all health care providers, insurers, and purchasers to join in support of awareness10 and education regarding diabetes, its complications, and proper medical management.11 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the12 American Podiatric Medical Association.13 DIGEST The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)] Girod Jackson HCR No. 112 Recognizes April as Foot Health Awareness Month.